Wandering through the Stans

[Dudditz]

Our short but enjoyable time in Khiva has come to an end and we decided to make our way to Bukhara by private car arranged by our accommodation at a very reasonable rate via five ancient forts in the desert. All were built on the edges of the ancient kingdom of Khorezm and still preserved due to the dry climate in the region. Some shots below of these.





This detour took us about 4-5 hours during the morning and we had an excellent driver who was quite informative. After the forts our driver informed us that he was handing over to another driver who would complete the trip to Bukhara. While I wasn't alarmed by this I was hoping the best in terms of a similar vehicle and hoping for the best that our driver would be as good as this one. At the handover point my fears were slightly realised when we noticed the car was quite shabby and 4 locals piled out and into our previous car. Our new driver gave us a cheeky grin and lit up a cigarette and we had no choice but to hope for the best and give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm by no means precious and have travelled in many developing countries in uncomfortable classes so I was prepared to suck it up. We started well enough he seemed friendly and began to drive. He stopped briefly to buy some pumpkins and food at the side of the road all fine no issues. Then the games began. He stopped again and wanted coffee and another cigarette. We didn't want to cause a scene so we let him go after all it was only 3 hours drive we would be there by 3:30pm we thought. He then asked us if we wanted to stop for food at a restaurant he knew and we politely declined. We then proceeded to make a 3-4 more stops for cigarette breaks while he chatted to other locals. Eventually we politely raised that it would be nice if he could pick up the pace and he snapped! He turned off the AC and began to speed overtaking cars at a rapid pace. He began to rant and drove more erratically reaching speeds of 160km an hour on pothole roads even overtaking numerous police. Despite our best efforts to calm the situation he continued and eventually we had quite a heated exchange and he finally began to drive at a more palatable pace. It was an incredibly uncomfortable journey but we finally made it by 5pm and could not wait to see the back of him.

 

[Dudditz]

We originally planned three nights in Bukhara but it became apparent early walking around that a full day or so would be adequate to see the sights so we were able to adjust our booking to two nights giving us more time in Samarkand. Bukhara is similar to Khiva in that it has various old walled sections of the city. You can wander off the main developed sections and easily stumble into the old town which has snaking laneways that are like stepping back in time. There are many highlights in town from the old bathing pool and buildings in Lyabi Hauz to the impressive Arc, mosques and madrassas. While I enjoyed Bukhara it somewhat lacked the charm of Khiva but is still very beautiful and well worth a visit.

 

[Dudditz]

 

[AisleSeat]

Their modern architecture is wild. That wedding palace!

 

[Dudditz]

We intended to get the new Afrosiyob fast train from Bukhara to Samarkand and on to Tashkent however, train times (and in the case of heading onward to Tashkent no tickets available) meant we were unable to do this during our time in Uzbekistan. This was a shame as the train is meant to be modern, cheap and the most efficient mode of travel during this route. It has also opened up the ability to get to Bukhara and Samarkand quickly as day trips from Tashkent drawing many local tourists. After our negative experience getting to Bukhara we opted to trust a driver again and I am pleased to say this time we had no issues and the trip was quick and uneventful.

On arrival to Samarkand we realised that we were no longer in Kansas and it resembled a somewhat modern city with a sizeable population. Samarkand is by far the most popular destination in Uzbekistan containing many architectural wonders mostly restored by Soviets and more recently American, European and Japanese archaeologists. The imposing Registan is easily the most iconic of these. Sometimes can sights underwhelm however I can assure you that the Registan is certainly not one of these it's stunning and unlike anything I had seen.



If I had one complaint and I think it's a huge shame it's how they allow sellers and stalls throughout this magnificent complex. It ruins the opportunity to photo and appreciate much of the place and cheapens it. The sellers aren't ones to hassle and I think this is consistent throughout Uzbekistan and much of Central Asia. They are polite but occupy premium space and I feel personally they could all be located outside the complex or at least all concentrated on one area much like many of the worlds amazing sights. Regardless it didn't ruin my appreciation for this special place.

 

[Dudditz]

Some other shots of key sights in Samarkand

 

[Dudditz]

As mentioned earlier unfortunately the weather shifted from 30 to 10 degrees on the day we arrived in Samarkand and we unfortunately had a lot of rain and cloud which didn't give us the best photos. Overall I loved some of the sights in Samarkand and enjoyed the perks of a bigger city such as finding some western style treats and finally the first palatable beer of the trip. We got our burger fix at a blatant Burger King rip off at 1980 prices called BBQ Burger Club. After the stodgy and relatively bland meals so far it made a nice change despite it not being the most healthy option.



While the photos don't paint an amazing picture it was actually delicious!

For a decent beer I'd recommend heading towards the main football stadium and in the side street exists three or four beer venues all serving the locally brewed pulsar varieties (which I believe is owned or co brewed by a Czech brewery). They have a pilsner, weiss, dark and unfiltered beer which you can find at venues such as beer street pub, Bochka and St Josephs (which was my pick housing a friendly family and late night football games)



Also one odd find (apologies for anyone who thinks this isn't appropriate I just found this fascinating) was this amazing cemetery we stumbled upon where graves had detailed portraits of those who were buried beneath. Some of these portraits contained very honest depictions...



Oh and I also discovered Borat although not in the country I was expecting!

 

[Dudditz]

Due to our shorter time in Bukhara we had gained some time on the backend and decided to spend more than just one night in Tashkent despite hearing that it wasn't worth visiting by many best visited for it's international airport. My thoughts are that this is a fair call. Tashkent is a big city and while certainly interesting to wander and see its Soviet style boulevards, monuments and huge Government buildings not really a standout destination in its own right. I was fascinated by how green and lush parts of the city were considering how dry and desolate many of the landscapes had been. Regardless we enjoyed wandering, using the metro and being back in a proper city with traffic, noise, people and craziness.

 

[henleybeach]

Amazing pics
Thanks for the beer pub tip in smarkand.
Did you feel safe walking around at night ? We haven’t organised a tour guide or anything, is it worthwhile or is it easy to just walk around ?

 

[RooFlyer]

Also one odd find (apologies for anyone who thinks this isn't appropriate I just found this fascinating) was this amazing cemetery we stumbled upon where graves had detailed portraits of those who were buried beneath. Some of these portraits contained very honest depictions...

I'd say that's a strong influence from Russia - cemeteries there can contain full 'busts' of the interred, as well as the image.

 

[Dudditz]

Amazing pics
Thanks for the beer pub tip in smarkand.
Did you feel safe walking around at night ? We haven’t organised a tour guide or anything, is it worthwhile or is it easy to just walk around ?

We spent the entire trip in Uzbek unguided and felt quite safe in all cities. It's a police state and while there wasn't a significant police presence everywhere we went, we were generally left alone and not hassled. Of course we are two men around 30 who perhaps are less of a target than others. Another wonderful but obviously risky thing about Uzbekistan is that every car is a taxi. We flagged down locals for short trips around Samarkand for a much lower price than a taxi. We did extensive walking during the day and evening however Samarkand is quite big and while many of the sites are relatively concentrated in the older part of town - much of the nightlife and newer part of town is a good hour walk from the Registan. If you're an independent traveller and comfortable I'd encourage you to walk and taxi.

 

[Dudditz]

I'd say that's a strong influence from Russia - cemeteries there can contain full 'busts' of the interred, as well as the image.

Intersting. I've never visited a cemetary while in Russia to see that. Always interesting to see the blend of Russian, Islamic and tribal/nomadic customs of Central Asia.

 

[henleybeach]

We spent the entire trip in Uzbek unguided and felt quite safe in all cities. It's a police state and while there wasn't a significant police presence everywhere we went, we were generally left alone and not hassled. Of course we are two men around 30 who perhaps are less of a target than others. Another wonderful but obviously risky thing about Uzbekistan is that every car is a taxi. We flagged down locals for short trips around Samarkand for a much lower price than a taxi. We did extensive walking during the day and evening however Samarkand is quite big and while many of the sites are relatively concentrated in the older part of town - much of the nightlife and newer part of town is a good hour walk from the Registan. If you're an independent traveller and comfortable I'd encourage you to walk and taxi.

Cool thank you , sounds like taxis are the way to go, we like to travel independently.

 

[Dudditz]

We arrived at Tashkent airport at an ungodly hour to make our flight on Uzbek Air to Almaty, Kazakhstan. The airport had reasonable stringent security assessments but was manageable and before we knew it we were through immigration and into a waiting area for our flight. We bused to the aircraft and while still in a daze we took off. I woke early in the flight for the breakfast service which consisted of a juice and inedible rock hard roll with something resembling ham. The flight was rather uneventful and we traveled safely

On landing in Almaty I withdrew some Tenge and hopped on the bus towards the city centre. On first impressions I felt Kazakhstan was a world away from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Russian influence is far stronger with the language being spoken and written extensively. It was also far more developed with western chains, malls and European influence far more prevalent. Of course outside of main cities this is less evident however compared to the other stans it's a world apart.

Astana is by far the most European city in Kazakstan. Cafes, bars and trees line the long streets under the shadow of the beautiful mountains above. It isn't blessed by the history and cultural attractions of it's neighbours but it has some stunning scenery and it's a city I loved relaxing for a few days enjoying good food, some decent coffee and some overdue craft beer at some wonderful establishments such as Hopers bar and Kraftwerk. We met some friendly locals and found the nights to be incredibly entertaining. Ubers are dirt cheap and there is also a somewhat handy metro that can be of use depending on your destination.

Due to the heavy snowfall and cold weather we passed up on various hikes and day trips settling for enjoying the town and spending half a day at the nearby ski resort of Shymbulak which included the famous skating rink of Medeu at the base of the Gondola.

Anyway some shots of our time in Almaty.

 

[Dudditz]

 

[Dudditz]

We awoke early and made our way by Uber for an early morning flight to Astana with the illustrious SCAT. Check in and boarding was rather straightforward and before we knew it we were off! I'd say that SCAT were nothing special they were certainly competent enough and worth the price of admission. I certainly got off lightly compared to what Mattg experienced on his recent trip

We landed safely and used Uber to take us to the newly built and reasonably located Hampton Astana. I cannot say enough about this hotel and it's staff. At $50aud a night for a twin and including a free breakfast it is incredible value. The staff were willing to bend over backwards for us allowing us an early check in and insisting we eat on arrival and providing us with Leffe beer glasses to enjoy some Kazak and Russian craft beers we procured during our stay.

Astana itself was a little like Ashgabat but in a frozen wasteland and even more devoid of soul. That said it was simply fascinating just to walk and admire the sci fi ambition of this newly created capital sitting in middle of Kazak steppe. It resembles a futuristic almost alien world and it's an amazing place to wander. Mind you it was -10 to -14C during our visit so we were rugged up to the max and managed by slow walks combined by flagging down taxis and locals to get us from a to b.

Some shots of Astana below

 

[Dudditz]

Speaking of the Khan Shatyr above. We couldn't pass up the option to escape the cold and visit it's indoor pool and beach on the top floor. It was a good way to kill a few hours before our flight back to Dubai at a horrible hour.

 

[VPS]

We arrived at Tashkent airport at an ungodly hour to make our flight on Uzbek Air to Almaty, Kazakhstan. The airport had reasonable stringent security assessments but was manageable and before we knew it we were through immigration and into a waiting area for our flight. We bused to the aircraft and while still in a daze we took off. I woke early in the flight for the breakfast service which consisted of a juice and inedible rock hard roll with something resembling ham. The flight was rather uneventful and we traveled safely

On landing in Almaty I withdrew some Tenge and hopped on the bus towards the city centre. On first impressions I felt Kazakhstan was a world away from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Russian influence is far stronger with the language being spoken and written extensively. It was also far more developed with western chains, malls and European influence far more prevalent. Of course outside of main cities this is less evident however compared to the other stans it's a world apart.

Astana is by far the most European city in Kazakstan. Cafes, bars and trees line the long streets under the shadow of the beautiful mountains above. It isn't blessed by the history and cultural attractions of it's neighbours but it has some stunning scenery and it's a city I loved relaxing for a few days enjoying good food, some decent coffee and some overdue craft beer at some wonderful establishments such as Hopers bar and Kraftwerk. We met some friendly locals and found the nights to be incredibly entertaining. Ubers are dirt cheap and there is also a somewhat handy metro that can be of use depending on your destination.

Due to the heavy snowfall and cold weather we passed up on various hikes and day trips settling for enjoying the town and spending half a day at the nearby ski resort of Shymbulak which included the famous skating rink of Medeu at the base of the Gondola.

Anyway some shots of our time in Almaty.

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Why is there a statue of the Beatles?

 

[Dudditz]

After a whirlwind two days we departed back to Dubai and reacquainted ourselves with the EK F lounge and their long overdue wine selection. Speaking of wine we did we a little bit of vino in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and unfortunately I can't recommend it. Stick to beer or foreign wine if you need your fix.

Another wonderful EK F experience ensued to Singapore before we took QF home and settled into the reality we were home. I can't thoroughly recommend enough this part of the world to people who want to see something different and not be saturated by tourists. What you will find if you are open are lovely people, amazing sights and some memories that will stay with you long after you leave.

I apologise for this being a couple of months well after the trip, I have lost much of the day to day detail and only have photos and memories to go off. Feel free to ask any questions and I hope like some others here I've shown you a part of the world you may one day consider visiting or can at least enjoy some photos and descriptions of if you never make it there.

 

[Dudditz]

Why is there a statue of the Beatles?

It's quite random and located on Kok Tobe near the big tower above Almaty.

Atlas Obscura states the following:

The youthful, cartoonish representation of the worldwide musical sensation was created in 2007 by artist Eduard Kazaryan as an homage to the popularity and universal appeal of the group, and as another piece of artistic flair to go along with the existing attractions in Kazakhstan’s largest city.

The statue stands near the artistic Almaty Tower on the popular mountain, which it seems is starting to be a rallying point for artists and tourists alike due to the attractive scenic vistas and popular activities the mountain provides visitors to the area.